"I didn't even comprehend the fact that I swung at the first pitch and it was a walkoff. I hit second base and everybody is standing at home plate and then I realized what was going on." -- 6.21.09, Nick Green on the win

"A nice gesture by the fans. They clearly didn't have to do it. They didn't come to watch me. They're great fans. They're very loyal. But you tip your hat to Beckett. It was a great game, but it was a loss." -- Derek Lowe, goodnight and good luck

Let Japan Shoulder the Blame

Back on March 2, Team Japan manager Tatsunori Hara was in charge of our $103 million import: The Red Sox keep tabs on Matsuzaka in Japan through team massage therapist Takanori Maeda, whose access to Matsuzaka "has been limited," Francona said. Maeda gives updates to interpreter Masa Hoshino, who relays them to pitching coach John Farrell, who relays them to Francona.

"So there's a few channels," Francona said. "There's no other way to do it. We can't go over there and watch. And it's their team. I'll be glad when he's back and throwing the ball well. There's no other way to get around it."

Francona has spoken with managers of other WBC teams about the workload of Red Sox players, and he offered a line of communication with Japan's manager, Tatsunori Hara.

"There didn't seem to be a lot of interest," Francona said. "So we didn't push it. You hope you're talking to somebody, it's almost like a partner. And if it doesn't come across as that, it doesn't do any good just to offend somebody. -- 3.2.09, Boston Globe Red Sox notebook